The Battle of Leipzig, fought in 1813 and in which Napoleon was defeated—forcing him to return to France and abdicate shortly thereafter—is known as the Battle of the Nations because forces from seventeen countries participated. But in Antiquity there was also a Battle of the Nations: the one that pitted the Romans and their allies […]
Gauls
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Large Domus with a Subterranean Cellar Over 2 Meters Deep Discovered in Ancient Metlosedum of the Senones
An excavation in modern-day Melun, located about 40 kilometers southeast of Paris, uncovered remains of the ancient city of Metlosedum, which was strategically situated on a meander of the Seine and during Roman times belonged to the civitas of the Senones, whose center was in present-day Sens—a crucial area within the urban and territorial network […]
Posted inIron Age Archaeology
Seated at the Bottom of Circular Pits: A Series of Atypical Iron Age Burials Discovered in Dijon
In the city of Dijon, France, recent archaeological excavations conducted on Turgot Street have unveiled a fascinating panorama of land-use transformations over the centuries. From a Gallic-era funerary site to its later conversion into agricultural land during the modern period, this location holds a rich history of cultural and social practices deserving of thorough exploration. […]
Posted inAntiquity
The Bronze Fragments That Allowed the Reconstruction of the Celtic Calendar
In November 1897, Alphonse Roux, a farmer, discovered what appeared to be a cloth bag, whose fibers had dissolved over time, buried about 30 centimeters underground while working in a field at a place called Verpoix in the municipality of Coligny (in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France). Inside, there were 550 bronze fragments. The pieces, […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
Monumental Late Antiquity Installation Around a Large Spring, which is still Active Today, found in France
Before the works on RN147 in the Limoges-Bellac section in south-central France, archaeologists from Inrap excavated an area of 8800 square meters and discovered an ancient agropastoral occupation and evidence of an atypical monumental installation from the 3rd century, around a spring catchment. The site provides unprecedented information about the development of the territory of […]
Posted inAntiquity
Aedui, the Celtic People who Considered Themselves the Romans’ Brothers and Kinsmen
The conflict known as the Gallic Wars was a military struggle fought between the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar and the Gallic tribes between 58 and 51 BC. These were not a handful of barbarians; on the contrary, they were civilized tribes with a significant influence from Rome, most of which had abandoned the monarchical system […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Antiquity
Ambiorix’s Revolt, when the Gauls annihilated fifteen Roman cohorts with a cunning ruse
Strictly speaking, the term genocide was not formulated until 1939, being legally defined as a crime in 1948. However, as a concept (deliberate and systematic extermination of a human group), it is possible to recognize it in some historical episodes, some on a large scale and others on a smaller scale. One of those often […]
